KEEP THEM FROM THE EVIL

Keep Them From the Evil

John 17:11-16 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Introduction

John 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

“I am no more in the world…”

In less than a day, Jesus would be crucified, and His dead body will be placed in a borrowed tomb. In the scheme of things, the work He was sent to do was completed among men, and He was about to leave this world.

“…but these are in the world…”

The contrasting conjunction, “but” compares Jesus leaving the world and His disciples staying in the world. His apostles will continue His message among wicked men, cruel and malicious enemies. Those enemies will bring trials, persecutions and almost all will die for the message they will preach.

“…keep…those whom you hast given me…”

Jesus is asking for the LORD to sustain and preserve the apostles. Not from death, as all men must die. But to keep them in the faith. To keep them from apostasy.

“…that they may be one, as we are…”

If we look at this passage as Jesus’ prayer for His disciples, and we already know the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, then this statement seems out of place if Jesus is only referring to the “unity of their nature.” Therefore, let us consider that this is a prayer the disciples to keep to the plan and proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven, as the LORD and Jesus were.

12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

Through the three short years of Jesus’ ministry, Jesus gave them vision, determination, training, and leadership.

“I kept them in thy name…”

The English word “kept” has a variety of uses. It means to, “guard, detain, hold fast.” Therefore, Jesus is saying that he guarded those that the Father had given him. He kept them by His example, teaching, and miracles as He increased their knowledge, demonstrated His loyalty and worship of the Father.

“…none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.”

Jesus’ use of the word “son” simply means “having the character of…” For example, “Children of the Lord” carries the idea of “having the character of the Lord.” In this case, the one who has the “character of perdition” was lost. Perdition means “destroyer, ruin, or loss.” The “lost one” had the character of destruction as a traitor and the murder of the Christ.

The scripture being fulfilled is Psalm 41:9; 109:8.

Psalm 41:9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

Psalm 109:8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

“…that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves…”

I found this statement by the Christ to be so profound. As I reviewed what brings me joy, I realized that my joy is lacking when I consider what Jesus’ joy would be. As He did not identify “my joy,” I looked through the teachings of Jesus and found the following.

· The Joy of Serving

· The Joy of Prayer

· The Joy of Obedience to the Truth (vv. 6, 8, 14, 17)

· The Joy of Hearing and Receiving the Word of God (Mt 13:20).

· The Joy of Being Faithful

· The Joy of Acceptance by the Father

· The Joy of the Resurrection (Mt 28:8)

· The Joy of the Reward in Heaven (Lk 6:23)

· The Joy of the Repentant (Lk 15:7)

· The Joy of His Ascension (Lk 24:52)

· Sorrows Turned to Joy (Jn 16:20)

· The Joy That Cannot Be Taken (Jn 16:22)

Earlier in the evening, the disciples heard Jesus speak of Joy:

John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

I wonder if His words to the disciples while at the table is coming to His mind here. In the previous chapter Jesus proclaimed:

John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

John 16:32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

At this point in His Priestly prayer, Jesus ponders the fact when the apostles declare His words, the world in which He is about to send them out to will hate them. The responsibility is overwhelming as He knows the outcome to the presentation of the Gospel message to the world will result in some believing and others rejecting. And those rejecting will hate the disciples for their words.

Just as Jesus was not of this world, so are the Apostles. I am not saying that the Apostles are the same as Jesus, but that His message, miracles, and Father are not of this world.

15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

How is it possible to be “in the world” and yet not be “of the world?” His prayer is not for His followers to be removed from the world, but by their alertness and responsiveness to its evils, its pitfalls could be averted. The “Prince of the Power of the Air,” for eons has battled against the LORD God by affecting the lives of His followers (see Job).

The answer is “sanctification.” To be sanctified means to be “set apart for the LORD’s use. That is how we can be in the world, but not of the world.

The tightrope is not to be walked on.

16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Jesus was physically in the world, but was not part of the world’s system, which is headed by Satan. (See the Temptations of the Christ, Mt 4:1-11).

Believers are also not of the worlds system, they belong to the Kingdom of the Son (Col 1:13), because they have been born-again.

Conclusion

If I were to summarize this passage, it would be easy to simply say that Jesus was praying for His apostles. However, pealing back the onion by digging a little deeper into His prayer, we can see that the prayer was that His disciples would not be under the influence of the worlds system. They should abandon the things we seek that would bring personal glory to ourselves. The crux of His prayer then is that His disciples would pursue their relationship with God and that it be the most important quality that they have. The idea is not to be under the influence of the worldly vision of wealth, power, and prestige. Jesus knew that He was leaving the Apostles to a world that would hound them and persecute them, even unto death.

If we denounce the worldly system and in turn glorify God, the spread his kingdom and His message would begin once again to be pronounced in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost part of the world.

Time is short. Jesus prayed that the LORD would send the Holy Spirit to “keep” them from evil. Our evil is inherent.

“Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.”